Playa del Rey: New member joins Friends of Ballona Wetlands board

The environmental organization Friends of Ballona Wetlands has appointed Andrew R. Henderson to its board of directors.
Friends of Ballona Wetlands President David Kay noted that Henderson has performed legal work on behalf of the organization since the mid-1990s.
“We’re thrilled that he will bring his considerable conservation expertise to our board, and we look forward to his input as we continue to advocate for the restoration of Ballona Wetlands,” Kay said.
A Mar Vista resident, Henderson served as a public interest litigator from 1994 to 2002. He provided legal counsel to Friends of Ballona Wetlands during the time that the fresh water marsh at Ballona was planned, permitted and eventually completed.
“I look forward to working with the Friends to advance the organization’s mission, particularly as we work with our stakeholders to ensure that the planned restoration of Ballona Wetlands proceeds in a scientifically sound fashion, one that will benefit Los Angeles communities and ecosystems,” Henderson said.
Since 2005, he has served as the executive vice president and general counsel of Building Industry Association of Southern California, Inc., a nonprofit trade association that represents nearly 1,000 member companies involved in residential community development in six counties.
Henderson graduated with honors in 1990 from the University of North Carolina School of Law, and received a master’s degree from the University of Southern California in 1981. From 1996 to 1999, he served on the city of Los Angeles Charter Reform Commission.
He has argued cases in several state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and advises the building industry association and its affiliates on issues related to the California Environmental Quality Act as well as other local, state and federal environmental policies and regulations.